- A power outage left nearly 40,000 people without power in North Carolina on Saturday.
- The power outage is being investigated as a criminal act, the Moore County Sheriff’s Office said.
- The power outage was caused by “intentional damage,” according to the sheriff’s office.
A power outage in North Carolina that left nearly 40,000 people without power on Saturday is now being investigated as a criminal act of vandalism, police said.
Several communities in Moore County, North Carolina started to lose power on Saturday at around 7:00 pm, according to a Saturday statement from the Moore County Sheriff’s Office. The statement said workers from utility companies that were sent to repair electrical substations found “intentional vandalism had occurred at multiple sites.”
Southern Pines Fire and Rescue Department Chief, Mike Cameron, said that several electrical substations had been damaged by gunfire, according to The Pilot. The sheriff’s office said that it dispatched deputies to the areas where the damage occurred to “further site security.”
The power outage affected around 38,000 customers, according to the Duke Energy map. Duke Energy serves 47,000 total customers in Moore County, CBS 17 reported.
Power has been restored to some homes in the county but many are still waiting for their electricity to be turned back on, officials said. Jeff Brooks, a representative for Duke Energy, told CBS 17 that the company does not have an estimate for when power will be restored to all the customers in Moore County.
The Pilot reported that the latest report from Duke Energy noted power might be restored to all customers by late Sunday evening.
Police have not named a suspect or person of interest in the case, or suggested a possible motive.
The Moore County Sheriff’s Office did not immediately respond to Insider’s request for comment on Sunday.
Emily Grace Rainey, a conservative organizer who helped organized a protest against a drag show on Saturday said she was visited by police in a Facebook post, according to The Daily Beast.
Moore said “The power is out in Moore County and I know why” in a Facebook post on Saturday night, according to The Daily Beast.
“I told them God is chastising Moore County, thanked them for coming and wished them a good night,” Moore said of her visit with police, The Daily Beast reported.
